URLs are for humans - a browser concept

April 7, 2013

I agree with Andreas Bonini - URLs are for people. They should be editable, and sensible editing of a URL should not result in a 404. However, I think the idea of editing the URL to explore a site is very foreign and scary to the average user. It may seem straightforward to you and me, but for grandma this is nothing short of super advanced computer hacking. The solution?

Make the URL bar act as a series of links

As in this mockup.

On a page that lacks clear navigation, or one that lacks navigation entirely such as a direct image, I think this could be immensely helpful. Compare it to a clickable link and a plain text URL that you have to copy and paste into your address bar. It’s not hard, but it is a chore.